Industry News
Coles fined $2.5m for misleading bread promotion
Coles has been slapped with a $2.5 million fine for promoting its par-baked, store-finished bread as 'Baked Today, Sold Today' and 'Freshly Baked In-Store'. [ + ]
Manipulating porosity reduces salt and fat content in processed foods
How do you make salty, fried food healthier? By manipulating its porosity, two food scientists from the University of Illinois have found. [ + ]
Magic mushrooms remove gluten from wheat
A US food technology company has developed a magic mushroom with a twist. Rather than causing hallucinations, these mushrooms remove gluten from wheat - a mind-bending concept in itself. [ + ]
Food encapsulation market forecast to hit US$5.4 bn by 2020
The global food encapsulation market is expected to reach US$5464.6 million by 2020, according to a new report. The increasing demand for natural flavours and clean label products has prompted development of novel products, which will drive this growth. [ + ]
Tetra Pak reports growth despite difficult year
Despite a difficult year, Tetra Pak has posted net sales of €10.9 billion, up 1.7% from 2013. The company saw strong growth in capital equipment and technical sales, offsetting a disappointing year for packaging material. [ + ]
Energy White Paper highlights barriers to food manufacturing competitiveness
Rising electricity and gas costs have hampered the competitiveness and profitability of the domestic food and grocery manufacturing industry in recent years, with more pain expected due to a forecast tripling of gas prices, AFGC CEO Gary Dawson said. [ + ]
Made in Australia vs Made in China
In light of the recent hepatitis A outbreak that was linked to frozen berries from China, it's no wonder that the proportion of Australians who are more likely to buy food labelled 'Made in Australia' increased from 85 to 88% over the last two years.
[ + ]Pesticide residues linked to reduced sperm quality
Pesticide residues in food have been linked with lower sperm counts and reduced sperm morphology in men's semen in a new study published in the journal Human Reproduction. [ + ]
RANGEme joins GS1 Australia Alliance Partner Program
Online supplier platform RANGEme has announced its entry into GS1 Australia's Alliance Partner Program. Targeted at SMEs, RANGEme enables FMCG suppliers to pitch their product range to leading Australian retailers more efficiently. [ + ]
Stand-up pouches drive global food packaging growth
Almost two trillion food packaging units were sold in 2014 - a global increase of 3%. The increasing popularity of stand-up pouches has been significant in this increase, according to Euromonitor International. [ + ]
CoOL consultations underway
Consultations and consumer research are underway to deliver clearer and more consistent country of origin labelling (CoOL) for food sold in Australia, the government has announced. [ + ]
How to stop craving junk food: don't eat it in adolescence or pregnancy
While some might argue there's no good time to eat junk food, researchers have discovered that there are two crucial points in a person's life when exposure to junk food has the biggest impact: in utero and during adolescence.
[ + ]Chinese-made Aussie Beer attracts $10K fine
A Chinese-made product called 'Aussie Beer' has attracted the attention of the ACCC - and a $10,200 fine. Independent Liquor Group released the product in 2014, featuring green-and-gold labelling and the statements "100% owned" within a map of Australia and "Australia's finest malt". [ + ]
Pulsed electric fields - a viable alternative to pasteurisation
Israeli researchers have developed a technique using high-voltage, short pulsed electric fields that selectively damage cell membranes, killing the contaminating bacteria by a process known as electroporation.
[ + ]NIR hyperspectral imaging accurately detects peanut contamination
A novel form of near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy known as NIR hyperspectral imaging (HSI) could help clear up the uncertainty around peanut allergen labelling, researchers say. [ + ]